French minister cleared of corruption
French Labor Minister Eric Woerth has been cleared of the snowballing scandal, which accused him of attempting to evade taxes by France's richest woman, Press TV reported.
Woerth "did not intervene" in Bettencourt's tax affairs by using his authority when he was budget minister, a report by the General Financial Inspection office said.
Telephone conversations recorded by Bettencourt's butler, mentioning Woerth's name had leaked resulting in a widening scandal linked to the billionaire's fortune, AFP reported.
Following the scandal, reports emerged that the then finance minister had solicited a job for his wife, managing the finances of the L'Oreal heiress.
As the scandal developed, Woerth kept a firm stance denouncing the allegations as 'untrue' and refused to resign.
"It's unacceptable to bring people down in this manner," he said. "It's unacceptable. I would go as far as to say it's very upsetting," The Telegraph quoted Woerth as saying.
